1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for playing games of chance. More specifically, the invention encompasses a method and apparatus for gaming that integrates the elements of a visual presentation of multiple independent physical shapes with the elements of a game of chance. The gaming method of the present invention may be implemented in a stand-alone gaming machine, a stand-alone gaming machine including a bonus event, networked gaming machines in a progressive game, or networked gaming machines in the context of a cooperative and/or competitive multiplayer participation game.
2. State of the Art
Gaming machines have long been a significant facet of the gaming industry. One of the most basic implementations of a gaming machine is an electromechanical device employing a set of laterally adjacent spinning reels, commonly known in the art as a “slot” machine. Electronic implementations of these gaming machines using video displays simulating spinning reels have also gone into widespread use in recent years. During typical operation of one of these gaming machines, a player wagers an amount and invokes spinning (or simulation of spinning) of a set of reels displaying symbols on their outer surface. At the conclusion of rotation, each reel is stopped at a random rotational position, the reels together displaying an array of symbols aligned along one or more paths, commonly termed “pay lines”. If a predetermined combination of symbols is aligned on a pay line when all of the reels have stopped, then the player is awarded an amount that is substantially proportional to the probability of the occurrence of the combination of symbols.
Unfortunately, play on conventional reel-type gaming machines becomes somewhat boring to a player after some time. As a consequence, the gaming market has recognized a demand for new and different gaming experiences to stimulate and maintain player appeal. Gaming machines that offer different modes of operation and different or additional gaming experiences are always desirable to attract players and maintain their interest in gaming. Thus, gaming machines have evolved which incorporate games designed to offer relatively high payoffs and to provide a variety of gaming experiences.
One conventional example of increasing possibilities for winning and thereby stimulating the interest of a player is by increasing the number of pay lines. Additional pay lines may provide the opportunity for a player to win a game in a number of different ways, through different symbols combinations along a number of different paths. Evaluation of all the different pay lines also increases player attention to the perceived complexity of the game and thus may maintain a player's interest. Therefore, the gaming industry has steadily increased the number of pay lines available in gaming machines, as discussed below.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,099,722 to Rodesch discloses a mechanical three-reel slot machine with three horizontal pay lines and two diagonal pay lines. Further, U.S. Pat. No. RE 34,244 to Hagiwara discloses the use of three horizontal pay lines, two diagonal pay lines, and three vertical pay lines by way of independent mechanical or electronic symbol generation for each of nine symbols in a three by three matrix of symbols. Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,807,172 to Piechowiak discloses nine pay lines generated from a three by three matrix of nine symbols by way of three horizontal pay lines, two diagonal pay lines, and four multi-directional diagonal pay lines.
Another situation that players find interesting is the possibility of changing a losing gaming event into a winning event. Initial disappointment in the losing event may be diverted to examine the further possibility of changing the losing event into a winning event. Various “second chance” gaming devices and methods have been implemented into slot-type gaming machines, as discussed in more detail below.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,200,291 to Hooker allows a player to determine which reels may be held and which reels should be spun upon the pull of the handle. Such an option may give a player more satisfaction if a winning event occurs and also may maintain player interest by allowing a player some apparent control to configure a winning event.
Another variation for allowing players some perceived control of winning events involves the so-called “nudge” option. British Patent 2 062 922 discloses that, after an initial spin of the reels has been completed, the player is given the option to “nudge” one of the reels by rotationally indexing the reel up or down one or more positions in order to achieve a winning combination. By adjusting the payout tables of such a “nudge” game, the gaming establishment operating the gaming machine may still effect favorable odds.
British Patent 1 454 046 to Gatley analyzes the metered payout ratio of the machine and turns a cam either clockwise or counterclockwise to “tighten” or “loosen” the machine accordingly, either during or just prior to each game. Gatley teaches a payout metering invention that is intended for a “nudge” machine where the likelihood of a payout is determined not just by random draw, but also by the skill of the player in nudging the wheels forward or backward. The method of limiting payouts described in Gatley restricts the ability of the player to nudge the wheels.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,704,835 to Dietz discloses an example of a gaming machine and method employing a video display comprising a number of display boxes simulating reels that allows the possibility of transforming a losing event into a winning event by permitting a player to completely “respin” one or more of the display boxes after the first “spin” of all of the boxes.
While the gaming industry has progressively expanded the number of pay lines and enhanced the ability of the player to interact with the gaming device in order to capture and maintain player interest, it would be advantageous to provide a gaming machine with different types of player interaction and challenge as well as providing other, different opportunities for winning possibilities.